How Many Miles a Week to Train for a Half Marathon, Week by Week

Most beginner half marathon plans ask for about 10 to 23 miles a week. In Hal Higdon's Novice 1 half marathon plan, weekly running starts at 10-12 miles in week 1, peaks at 20-23 miles in week 11 with a 10-mile long run, and drops to 6-9 miles in race week before the 13.1 (all our arithmetic from the published schedule; the range depends on whether you run the optional Wednesday runs). Runners with a half or two behind them usually do more: Higdon's Novice 2 works out to about 13-23 miles a week with a 12-mile long run, and Intermediate 1 to about 17-34.

We built the tables below by adding up the running on each published schedule. Cross-training days aren't counted, the 5K and 10K tune-up races count as 3.1 and 6.2 miles, and the half itself counts as 13.1. Where the plan offers "run or cross" or an optional easy run, we show both ends.

Half marathon mileage week by week: Novice 1

Novice 1 is Higdon's plan for beginning runners preparing for their first 13.1. It assumes you can already run 3 miles, three to four times a week, and asks for every regular run at a comfortable, conversational pace.

Schedule source: Hal Higdon, Novice 1 Half Marathon. Monday is a rest day every week, and Friday is rest (with an optional easy run in weeks 6 and 9, which the plan doesn't give a distance for and we haven't counted). Mileage totals are our arithmetic. Across all 12 weeks, that's about 176 miles without the Wednesday runs and about 206 with them, an average of roughly 15-17 miles a week.

How the mileage builds

Reading the Novice 1 table as a pattern rather than a list makes it less intimidating:

• The long run grows by a mile at a time. 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, then 7, 8, 9 and 10, never more than a one-mile jump from one long run to the next.
• Midweek runs grow slowly. Tuesday and Thursday climb half a mile every two weeks or so, from 3 miles to 5.
• The tune-up races double as lighter weeks. Weeks 6 and 9 swap the Saturday cross-training for rest and the long run for a 5K or 10K, so weekly running dips (11.1 miles in week 6 against 14 the week before, by our arithmetic) before it climbs again.
• The peak is short. Only weeks 10 and 11 top 17 miles of running without the optional Wednesday runs (our arithmetic), and race week then drops to 6-9 miles before the half.

If the week 1 runs feel like too much, Higdon's advice is direct: the schedule assumes you can run 3 miles, three to four times a week, and if that seems difficult, consider a shorter distance for your first race. Our 5K and 10K hub covers that step.

How the step-up plans compare

Higdon publishes several 12-week half marathon plans. Three show how weekly mileage grows with experience:

Two things change as you move up. The long run grows from 10 to 12 miles, and running at goal race pace appears in the week. Higdon defines race pace simply: the pace you plan to run in the race. His example is that a 2:00 half marathon means averaging 9:09 per mile. He also advises experienced runners to do their long runs 30 to 90 or more seconds per mile slower than their half marathon pace.

Is 15 or 20 miles a week enough for a half marathon?

For finishing a first half, the published beginner plan says yes. Novice 1 peaks at 20-23 miles a week and averages roughly 15-17 over the block (our arithmetic), and Higdon writes that if you can handle the 3-to-4-mile runs of week 1, the program will get you ready to run 13.1 at the end of 12 weeks. He also calls it one of his most gentle training programs.

If you're chasing a time rather than a finish, the step-up plans add both miles and race-pace running. Higdon's own advice when choosing between his plans is to pick the one that matches your ability and, if in doubt, err on the side of easy. We don't have a published source that ties a specific weekly mileage to a specific finish time, so we won't invent one.

What the mileage means for your shoes

The long run carries the load. In week 11 of Novice 1, the 10-mile Sunday run is 10 of the week's 20-23 miles, about 43-50% of your running (our arithmetic). Whatever you do your long runs in needs real cushioning and a fit that's still comfortable at mile 9.

One pair is enough for Novice 1. Every training run in that plan is at a conversational pace, so a single cushioned daily trainer covers the lot, including the tune-up races and, if you like, race day. Our pick list for this level is the best half marathon shoes for beginners.

Two pairs start to pay off in Novice 2 and Intermediate 1. Once race-pace runs appear every week or two, a lighter second shoe for those days and race day makes sense, while the cushioned trainer keeps the easy and long miles. Our daily trainer vs tempo shoe guide explains the split.

Check your shoes' mileage before week 1. A Novice 1 block adds about 176-206 miles, Novice 2 about 214 and Intermediate 1 about 288 (our arithmetic). Compare that with the miles already on your pair using our when to replace running shoes guide.

What a two-shoe week looks like

Here's how the two pairs above would split a mid-block week of Novice 2 (week 8 on the published schedule). The shoe assignments are our suggestion.

That's 21 miles of running (our arithmetic), with the fast shoe used for 5 of them. The split keeps the lighter shoe for the miles where it helps, and puts the long run in the shoe with more foam. For three-shoe setups and how a rotation changes by level, see our running shoe rotation guide.

Tracking your miles

You don't need exact numbers. Higdon says to come close to the scheduled distances, and notes that GPS watches make measuring courses easy. A phone app works too; our do I need a running watch guide weighs the options. What matters more than the decimal points is the rest around the runs. Novice 1 schedules rest on Mondays and Fridays, and Higdon puts it plainly: "Rest is as important a part of your training as the runs." In the Novice 2 notes he adds that scientists say muscles regenerate and get stronger during the rest period, the 24 to 72 hours between hard bouts of exercise.

From half to marathon mileage

If the half is a stepping stone, the jump is significant. Higdon's Novice 1 marathon plan runs 18 weeks with 4 run days a week, and its long run peaks at 20 miles; weekly running works out to about 15-40 miles across the plan (our arithmetic). Our marathon training mileage and shoe rotation guide covers that step. Coming up from the 10K instead? Start with how long to train for a 10K.